Results 19,841-19,860 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: They will do so because they cannot live in it. Housing is critical to that. For the past decade, I have been speaking about the need to build social housing. When the housing assistance payment, HAP, was brought in, I said it would be a disaster if it was not accompanied by a big housebuilding programme and it would become a dominant feature in terms of the amount of State money that went...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: This is not working and anyone looking at those statistics knows it is not working.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: I have been listening to that since 2012.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: I welcome the witnesses. As I have only ten minutes and a number of questions to ask, I will try to keep my questions brief and I would appreciate brief replies. The two big issues are the ability to deliver and the financial stability. In his opening statement, Mr. Hendrick made the point that as the risk profile of the project evolves it is likely that some of the early-stage investors...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Have people that NBI expected to stay with the project dropped out?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: We are still in a very low interest rate environment. The rates of return seem very high given the risks are known now and the project is under way. For example, the loans are, I understand, unsecured. Is Mr. Hendrick confident that no risks will arise? In terms of the interest accruing, Mr. Hendrick said NBI has no plans to pay it yet. It was reported recently that €11.8 million...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: The area was mapped out and there was to be an encroachment subsidy if there was to be competition with a commercial entity. It has been reported that Eir has passed 45,000 homes within the intervention area and that is where the encroachment subsidy would arise. Has NBI engaged with the Department on an encroachment subsidy regarding those premises?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Is Mr. Hendrick saying other providers will be less attractive in terms of people connecting?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Why would a commercial entity do what we are talking about?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Of the €223 million, €227 million or whatever it is, how much was put in in hard cash?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Is that by way of shares or loans?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: With regard to the recovery of the outlay, what has been recovered to date, right from tender stage?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: How much?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Are there agreed targets for 2022 yet?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: It is not agreed yet. We can talk to its representatives in the afternoon.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: To follow up on the question Deputy Dillon asked on the numbers, the numbers appear to differ from those in Mr. Hendrick's opening statement. He stated 154,000 premises were constructed or under construction. I understand the difference between “passed”, “constructed”, “connected” and all the rest of it but believe language is often used that does...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: We will probably come back to the Department on that later. Are the funds committed secure? Is there a legal contract? Some of the funds look like reasonably short-term loans that are expensive and have an end date. Have they been secured or can these investors withdraw? What are the circumstances in which they can withdraw?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: So there is a legal process.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: And they are signed up. What investors are ultimately acting as the guarantor?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Catherine Murphy: Is that built into the risk?